Bench tool for repairing chains



Feb. 25; 1930.' w. w. HOIICOMB 1,748,123.

BENCH TOOL FOR REPAIRING CHAINS 7 Filed Nov. 6, 1926 INVENTOR Wa'/ZerW//o/ c0m&

mm ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 25, 1930 1 PATENTOFFICE WALTER n 01.00MB, or CI-IVICOPEE FALLS, MhssAcHUsnTTs, As'sIeNoR T AMERICAN- CHAIN COMPANY, INC A CORPORATION OF NEW: YORK 131211011 11001. ronnnrrimme CHAINS Myinvention relates to apparatus for repairing" chains, and is particularly adapted for'embodiment'in a benchgoutfit for repairing tire chains. Tire chains usuallyconsist ofa pair of side chains or longitudinal chain'membe'rs 'connectedat intervals by cross chains ortransversletchain members. In service; the latter runacross the tread of a vehiclewheel and are subjected to considerable wear while the side chains serve merely to holdthe'cross chains in place and are subject to' comparatively little wear. Repairs to tire chains are thus almost wholly confined tothe cross chains and my invention has for an object to provide a 'ben'c houtfit'that is espe ciallyadapted for repairing the cross chain members of a tire chain. I Another important object of my. invention isto provide, an improved tool for closing the links of a chain. I I V A further object of my invention is to provide' a convenient bench repair outfit having link-opening and link-closing mechanisms adapted to be operated .byfoot power to per- 4 form: the operations necessary for repairing the cross chain members of a tire chain.

I With these and other ob ects in View my invention conslsts 1n certam' novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, which will be more fully claims; V o

In thea'ccompanyin'g drawings,

hereinafter described and-pointed out in the Fig. 2 isa front elevation of the same; and

' F i g.'3'is a top lan view of: my improved mechanism is susceptible for use, apart from the ope'ning mechanism and is ,so cla med.

.tool. i

link-closing mechanism, shown separately."

'My improved bench apparatusfor. repairing the chains preferably comprises linkin their associated relatiom'although itis to beYunderstood. that the improved closing Application filed NoVeinber G, 1926.; serial no. 146.593.

In the-now preferred embodiment, illustrated, the mechanisms are combined in a tool head mounted on the benchor support 11, and having abase 13 from, which rise two standards 14'and 151 The latter have'forward extensions which are apertured to re ceive a bolt 16. The aperture in the standard 15 is threaded to engage the thread of the bolt 16, anda nut 17 serves to lock the bolt at the desired adjustment .with respect to t-hejstandarfds -l i and 15. The-standard 14,

on the outer side thereof, i. e., the side remote from the standard 15, is formed with a recess 18' in which is seated a fixed jaw 19, constituting one member of the link-opening mechanism, which will be first described briefly, as the link-opening operation ordinarily comes first'in order in the repair of a tire .chai-n,,for the purpose of removing a worn-outcross chain, or one or more-links thereof. V,

Bearing against the outerface of the fixed jaw 19, is a jaw lever 20, which is mounted to turn on bolt 16 which passes through the jaw19. Thefixed jaw 19 is provided at its forward end with a downwardly turned hook 23 and the movable jaw 20 is provided at its forward end with an upwardly turned hook 24. ;The contacting faces of the hooks are flat, butthe outer faces taper inwardly at the point of the hooks, so that points of the hooks 23 and 24 may beintroduccd into the eye of a cross-chain link. However the combined thickness of the untapered or body portions of the hooks 23 and 24 is considerably greater than the opening in the chain link, so that by forcing the hooks into the link, the

p e o latter will bewedged open by the tapered -j Fign i'is a fragmentary,detail view of the -40I ends of. the hooks. On the upper [face of the fixed jaw 19there is'a forwardly-disposed shoulder 25 and on the movable jaw 20 there is/a rearwardly disposed shoulder 26. These shoulders maybe provided ifodesired with sharp corners at the adjacent faces of the two jaws which corners serve as shears to cut the'chain links whenever desired. I

p In pursuance ofjan important object of the invention Iprovide an improved link-closing mechanism which in itsnow preferred form include a cam;l ever '21 .mo ntedtotnm 11.

the bolt 16 between the brackets 14 and 15. The cam lever 21 is shown as extending rear- Wardly and connected by a transverse pin 22 with the jaw-lever 20, which also extends rearwardly.

To support :a :chain .link position to .be closedby the cam-"l'ever 21, I provide-.sananvil 27, which is supported on the base 13 between the brackets .14 and 15. The cam lever2'1 'is provided vv'ith an .Lec'centric ihu'b vQ30, so that when an open link, such as indicated by broken lines at :29 in Figs. 1 and 2 is laid on the anvil, and the lever 21' is turned on its axis 16, the eccentric hub or cam 30 will wipe over the end of the link and force .it down to closed-position. This novel Wiping'action for closing an open link proceeds of-extension of the free end of the open strand, as indicated Fig. 14, and permits a closing operation, which requires considerable ;power,"tobe performed quickly and accurately, for the operator Jean sweep the cam to the desired extenuand the-sweeping movement can ;be more readily gauged and controlledithan the conventional squashing movement of a press, EELS used in existing closing devices.

The -anvil 27 is provided with a horn 28 adapted to enterthe closed link next to the open link "which is beingoperate'd upon, and the ihorn 28 #iscurVed to lit the adjacent portions oi both links.

To operate levers '20 and 21 'I'prefer to provide suitable manualilyactuated means, such as the tr'eadl'e mechanism 12. This treadle mechanism comprises a base 31, which "may be bolted or otherwise secured to the floor, and is :formed with a pair of upwardlyprojecting arms 32 which provide bearings for ap-in 33on which isful'crumed a treadle lever :34. The lever "34 has a-short rearwardiy projecting arm 35 which is adapted to -he-ar sagainsta stop member 36. The stop member consists of a set screw which is threaded into the "base 31 :and secured at a the reward end of the lever 34 there is a foot --;pieee corestep 41.

llie trea'd le lever 34 is -coni1eet'ed to the jaw lever "20 and can lever 21 by means of a rod =42, --w1seh passes through apertures a m-shaped tcla-mp as. The latter is bent,

e die? pin 22 the outer ends of the clamp are drawn lt'of 'eth er ,v* iiten euthe clamp 4 .42 and I the :a'r'n'1 35 engagin the sto 36. At

21. By means of the clamp 43 the position of the levers 20 and 21 with respect to the v7 treadle 34 may be adjusted at will.

The operation of the apparatus will bereadily understood. On depressing the treadle 34 :both the j awlever-20 and the ca-mlever 21 will be turned on their "axis '16, the hook 24 moving toward the hook 23 and the swell of cam 30 moving toward the anvil27 ,A chain link "may be opened by holding it in position to receive the jaws 23 and 24, and

then depressing the treadle lever to cause the hooks 23 and 24 to co-act and wedge open the link. Anopen chain link may be closed by positioning it on the anvil 27 and then operating the treadle 34, to cause the cam 30 to wipe againstand close the open end of the link. During this operationthehorn 28may hold another link through which the open:

Thus I provide a simple treadle-operated bench outfit for performing all necessary re;

pair operations on a chain; I I

Having thus described my invention and with the understanding that various changes and modifications can be made without *departing from the spirit and-scope of'my in vention, I claim:

,1. A tool for'closing an openchain link,

comprising an anvil adapted to support said link, a cam journaled adjacent said .anvil,

and means for operating the cam'to wipe against the free end of the open strand of said link and force said link to closed posi-.

tion, said wiping action proceeding Pin. the direction of extension of said free'end. 2. A tool ifor openingandclo'sing a chain link, comprising a support provided with an anvil adapted to support said link, and a lever journaled adjacentthe anvil, said 1e ver and support havingvco-operating jaws adapted to be approached toward each other open the loop, and said lever beingifformed with an eccentric hub adapted to wipev against and force said link to closed position. i

3. .In a tool for operating upon ichain links,

'to engage the same loop 'portionofa link to an anvil adaptedto sup-port an openchaini link, a cam ljevier formed with an eccentric hub adapted to wipe against and close the open link on/the anvil, treadle-lever, a rod connected thereto, a clamp connecting saidro'dito the cam lever, and an adjustable stop for said treadle lever, -and a spring pressing the tre'a dle' lever against said stop and holding said ica m lever normally-in rel atively openposition, r

In Witness :whereof, I have signed this specification.

. p l wn-urns Boycotts 

